Kakashi added another piece of intel. "Iwagakure's main forces have already assembled near the border of the Land of Grass. We need to end this conflict with Kumogakure as quickly as possible. If Iwa sees an opportunity, they won't hesitate to get involved."
Conflicts between the Five Great Shinobi Villages were never isolated events.
When Kumo launched its surprise attack on Konoha, Iwa was bound to react. And as the news spread, Suna and Kiri might also respond. But those weren't problems Team 11 needed to worry about for now.
Shisui's expression turned serious. "So our mission could decide the fate of the village?"
Kakashi nodded. "If we fail, the village could be thrown into a dire situation. We'd see a repeat of the horrors of the Third Great Ninja War."
Might Guy showed no fear. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
As he rolled up the map, Kakashi calmly instructed, "I'll carry out the final attack. The three of you just need to provide cover for me."
—
On the battlefield within the Land of Fire...
Killer Bee, in a semi-transformed state, easily deflected Choji Akimichi's Enlarging Jutsu. A casual sweep of one of his eight tails sent Choji flying.
Killer Bee sang in a strange rhythm, "Yo yo, why'd Konoha send just you few to stop me?"
Across from him, Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka exchanged helpless looks.
To them, Killer Bee, who could perfectly synchronize with the Eight-Tails, was a true monster. Even with their famed Ino-Shika-Cho formation, they could only barely hold him back.
Scanning the other parts of the battlefield, Shikaku saw Konoha's forces faltering everywhere. He muttered anxiously, "Where is Lord Jiraiya? We can't stop something like this on our own..."
Not far away...
Hyuga Hizashi was gasping for breath, staring down a black-haired Kumogakure shinobi—none other than Aida, the deputy commander of the invasion force and a master of Storm Release.
Before Hizashi had arrived, two Konoha squads had already been wiped out by Aida. Without Hizashi holding him off, more Konoha shinobi would've surely died.
Aida sneered. "You're no match for me."
Hizashi didn't respond, focusing instead on finding a counter.
Storm Release combined Lightning and Water Release—destructive and versatile. With Aida's vast experience as a veteran Jonin, his attacks were nearly impossible to predict. For a taijutsu specialist like Hizashi, this was a terrible matchup.
Glancing at the faint cursed seal on Hizashi's forehead, Aida smirked. "Too bad you're from the branch family. If you weren't, I could've added a pair of Byakugan to my collection."
Hizashi's expression darkened. He quickly adjusted his headband to fully cover the Caged Bird Seal.
Aida had unwittingly hit his most painful sore spot.
—
Elsewhere on the battlefield...
Yugito Nii, the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails, had fully transformed. In her Tailed Beast form, she rampaged without restraint, making the entire battlefield her playground.
Eight Konoha shinobi shouted in unison: "Earth Style: Earth Prison Dome!"
Massive walls of earth rose from all sides, slamming together to trap Yugito inside.
ROAR—
Before anyone could even breathe a sigh of relief, Yugito shattered the prison with a single swipe of her claws. Her next strike instantly killed six or seven shinobi. The rest scattered, all injured.
"Water Style: Wild Water Wave!"
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!"
"Lightning Style: Thunder Tiger Bullet!"
The remaining Konoha ninja unleashed every jutsu they had.
BOOM—
Jutsu after jutsu struck Yugito's massive form—but none of them made the slightest dent.
Yugito opened her mouth and spat out several massive fireballs. Within moments, the surrounding forest was engulfed in flames, trapping the Konoha shinobi in a sea of fire.
*Cough, cough...*
A single heavily injured shinobi, coughing up blood, muttered bitterly, "If the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki were still alive, you bastards wouldn't stand a chance..."
Before he could finish, Yugito crushed him under her paw.
"Too bad they're dead," she scoffed.
Tsunade's departure, Orochimaru's defection, and the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—all those events had led to this moment.
Now, in the Land of Fire, the full consequences erupted.
Against Kumogakure's two perfect Jinchuriki, Konoha looked weaker and more vulnerable than ever.
—
Back with Team 11...
After days of travel, the four of them finally crossed the Land of Hot Water and entered the Land of the Moon.
This small country, nestled between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, had long been a battleground for Konoha and Kumo.
Fortunately, Konoha had excellent maps of the region, and Team 11 relied on intelligence division charts to navigate safely through the treacherous terrain to reach the border.
Perched atop a large tree at the edge of the border, Kakashi peered into a distant valley. "That's it."
Hyuga Kagami focused his Tenseigan, but after a moment shook his head. "The valley's covered in complex sealing techniques. They're interfering with my Byakugan—I can't tell how many Cloud ninja are inside."
Kumo had years of experience fighting Konoha and knew how to defend key facilities from bloodline-based detection.
Kakashi didn't seem surprised. "Then we stick to the plan. You three draw out the perimeter guards. I'll carry out the strike."
Guy quickly protested. "But—"
Kakashi cut him off. "I'm the team leader. That's an order."
Shisui glanced between Kakashi and Hyuga Kagami, silently seeking the latter's opinion.
Guy also turned to look at Hyuga Kagami. Of everyone, only Kagami might be able to sway Kakashi.
Hyuga Kagami rested one hand on his hip and the other on the hilt of Kusanagi-maru. Calmly, he asked, "Kakashi, just one thing—are you sure you can pull it off?"
"Of course," Kakashi answered immediately. "Don't worry. I'll regroup with you at the retreat point."